Chapter 278 – Waving a Chicken Feather Like a Command Flag

Through the Infrared Night Vision Goggles, Ling Mo could clearly see the change in expressions on the Big Guy’s face.

He looked at Ling Mo with displeasure, rolled his eyes, and then turned to the other team members, saying, “Ha, didn’t you hear Captain Xia’s orders clearly?”

Using Xia Zhining as leverage, the team member’s voice immediately weakened.

“But what Ling Mo said also makes a lot of sense…”

No one wanted to go back and face those variation zombies again; even catching a breath would be better.

“So are you going to listen to him, or to Captain Xia?”

The Big Guy spat on the ground as he spoke.

The team members hesitated awkwardly for a moment, then one of them asked Ling Mo in a low voice, “How about we all go back together? After all, it’s the captain’s order…”

“I’m here to cooperate with you, not to take orders from your captain.”

Ling Mo said directly, “Besides, at a time like this, I’d rather make what I think are appropriate decisions based on the specific situation than follow rigid orders. If you want to go back, go back by yourselves. My girlfriend and I will wait by the carriage.”

Apparently, these team members were still unclear about his role. Even if he didn’t follow Xia Zhining’s orders, it didn’t really matter; those orders didn’t apply to him anyway.

Hearing that they had to go back on their own, the team members were stunned.

They feared Xia Zhining, but they valued their own lives more.

After exchanging glances, they silently stood by Ling Mo, showing where their loyalties lay.

The Big Guy was about to say something, but he hadn’t expected his comrades to “betray” him so quickly. His face turned red with anger, feeling utterly humiliated.

“Damn it! A bunch of cowards! You’re really disgracing our Falcon unit!”

He shouted angrily, his voice booming, and even punched the wall, making a dull “thud” sound.

“That guy sure has a temper… Making such a fuss and not even worried about attracting zombies. Just waving a chicken feather like a command flag…”

Ling Mo glanced at him expressionlessly, let out a cold snort, and said indifferently, “Then why don’t you go back by yourself?”

This immediately choked the Big Guy, swallowing the curses he was about to spit out. He glared at Ling Mo, let out a cold laugh, and said:

“Heh, I’m talking to my teammates. What does it have to do with an outsider like you? The orders don’t concern you, but they do concern them.”

He subtly raised his gun a bit, thinking to himself that no matter how strong these superhumans were, their bodies were still fragile—a single shot could take them down.

As long as he had the gun, he felt confident.

The actions of his teammates made him direct all his anger at Ling Mo.

Even though he was furious, the Big Guy didn’t recklessly pull the trigger. His gesture was more of a threat.

“Are you pointing that gun at me?”

Ling Mo instantly noticed his movement.

A surge of anger welled up inside him. Ling Mo moved suddenly, and the Big Guy instinctively placed his finger on the trigger.

But at that moment, he suddenly felt as if hundreds of needles were stabbing into his brain simultaneously. His finger immediately lost strength.

“Bang!”

Ling Mo kicked him hard in the stomach.

The nearly 200-pound Big Guy was sent flying by Ling Mo’s kick, landing two or three meters away.

“Damn it!”

The Big Guy coughed violently as he struggled to get up, spitting out a mouthful of bloody froth, cursing loudly.

Before he could react, another kick landed in the same spot.

As he hit the ground heavily, a variation zombie suddenly rushed out from the darkness behind him.

This variation zombie seemed seriously injured, with half of its body a bloody mess, though the bleeding had stopped. Its muscles were writhing continuously, rapidly healing its wounds.

As soon as it appeared, it pounced directly on the Big Guy, clinging to his back.

The Big Guy, still dizzy, suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck.

“Ah! Ah! Help me! Someone help me!”

The others raised their guns, but the Big Guy and the zombie were too tightly entwined for them to get a clear shot.

In his intense pain, a look of despair flashed in the Big Guy’s eyes.

Even if he survived, he was doomed. If Ling Mo hadn’t kicked him to this spot, he wouldn’t have been ambushed…

A surge of intense hatred made the Big Guy’s eyes turn red. He quickly raised his gun again, aiming it at Ling Mo.

“Damn it! You’re coming down with me!”

But just then, the variation zombie suddenly wrapped its arms around his head.

“Crack!”

With a faint sound, the Big Guy’s head was twisted to a bizarre angle.

His eyes widened in unwillingness as he fell to the ground.

After a round of shooting, the variation zombie was blown away and wouldn’t be getting up again.

“If it weren’t for his loud mouth, he wouldn’t have attracted the not-quite-dead zombie,” Ling Mo said, shaking his head.

This incident was clearly an accident, but seeing Ling Mo’s calm demeanor gave everyone an unsettling feeling.

It was as if everything was within his calculations…

This realization sent a shiver down the spines of those present. They exchanged glances, seeing a strong sense of wariness in each other’s eyes.

“He brought it on himself…” someone muttered.

The others nodded in agreement. Even though they couldn’t fully understand the truth of the situation, they had reached a consensus on this matter.

This was exactly the reaction Ling Mo wanted. For these self-proclaimed elites, only such methods could truly intimidate them.

The area in front of the carriage was relatively safer, but not absolutely so. Ling Mo needed these people to follow orders, not just tag along for survival.

“Who knows if there are more zombies drawn here. Let’s move quickly.”

Ling Mo adjusted his backpack and said.

He took a couple of steps forward, then turned back to look at them: “If anyone else wants to leave, feel free.”

Naturally, these people wouldn’t gamble with their lives. Without Ling Mo, encountering another variation zombie might mean they wouldn’t even get a chance to fire their weapons.

As Ye Lian and the three girls passed by, the others showed a hint of reverence.

The overwhelming strength of these three had left a deep impression, shattering their previous perceptions.

“Now, who still dares to say those three beauties are dead weight…”

“Shut up, man. Anyone saying that now is an idiot!”

After leaving the corner, Ling Mo noticed that in the confusion, they had ended up near the commercial area of the Subway Station.

However, it wasn’t far from the main hall. The group silently jogged along the wall.

Ye Lian reached out and grabbed Ling Mo, whispering, “I… I’ll lead the way… I saw the route map when I came in.”

“Alright.” Ling Mo immediately showed a relieved smile and nodded.

The memory capabilities of zombies were indeed extremely powerful. Even though Ye Lian had only glanced at the map, she navigated the area as if she had been there countless times, quickly leading them through the darkness.

There were some ordinary zombies along the way. Although the team members were still shaken by the variation zombie, they showed decent combat skills against regular zombies.

These ordinary zombies were dealt with without Ling Mo needing to step in.

Soon, the eerie subway train appeared in front of them again.

After passing through the ticket gate, Ling Mo and his group stopped, crouching in a corner, quietly waiting for the others to show up.

With Ling Mo’s Psychic Tentacle extended like an antenna, he could immediately detect any humans or zombies approaching.

However, the intense drain on his Psychic Power forced Ling Mo to pull Xia Na into his arms and kiss her deeply.

“Ahem…”

The team members immediately noticed this and showed expressions of extreme envy.

Under the pressure of life-and-death crises, everyone wanted to release their tension and gain stronger motivation for survival, just like Ling Mo.

Unfortunately for them, there were three beauties present, but only Ling Mo could kiss them.

One team member glanced at his companion, who was also staring at him.

After a brief moment of eye contact, one of them shuddered and said, “Get lost, don’t even think about it!”

“Damn, if you didn’t want it, how would you know what I was thinking!”

Footnote: 

• waving a chicken feather like a command flag(拿着鸡毛当令箭): This Chinese idiom means that someone is taking a trivial or insignificant object or authority and treating it as if it has great power or importance. Essentially, it refers to a situation where a minor official or person pretends to have more authority than they actually do.